0Quirky Skyhouse Renovation by David Hotson + Ghislaine Viñas

David Hotson architecture studio in partnership with Ghislaine Viñas Interior Design renovated Skyhouse, a four level residence constructed within a previously unoccupied penthouse structure at the summit of one of the earliest surviving skyscrapers in New York City.

This residential project features a tubular slide, a column dedicated to wall climbing and a spectacular view of the New York City skyline.

Skyhouse Renovation by David Hotson + Ghislaine Viñas:

In the main living space the original steel frame was reconfigured to allow the space to ascend to the underside of the hipped penthouse roof four stories above. The 50-foot-tall living space tapers upward past a mid-level balcony suspended in the steel framework, to an inclined glass wall which encloses one end of the at the attic level –and provides a vertiginous view down to the main level four stories below.

At the other end of the attic, a circular hole cut into a similar outward sloping glass partition provides the entrance to the slide. The mirror polished tubular stainless steel slide provides for a quick descent –sweeping over a bedroom, out through a window, and over the stair, before coiling down through the library ceiling to arrive at the flared rectangular exit opposite the penthouse entrance.

All of the spaces of this residence exploit its situation above the Manhattan cityscape with vistas channeled through all four levels of the penthouse structure at a range of scale to capture framed views of iconic structures in the surrounding three-dimensional cityscape. While the true nature of these spaces can only be revealed to a visitor encountering them in the experienced present, the images re-presented here provide a glimpse of the experience of this house in the sky above the city of New York.